Coleman to Subpoena Investigators

We reported here on the resignation of two investigators for the Volcker committee investigating the U.N.’s oil for food scandal. The resignations apparently were in protest over the Volcker report’s gentle treatment of Kofi Annan. Subsequently, Volcker has apparently directed his former investigators not to talk to others who are looking into the scandal.
The best investigation of the oil for food program is the one being carried out by Senator Norm Coleman, Chairman of the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Today Coleman’s office put out this statement by the Senator:

I spoke with Mr. Volcker yesterday and expressed my grave and growing concerns about the credibility and independence of the investigation into the criminal misconduct that occurred in the U.N. Oil-for-Food program. Robert Parton and Miranda Duncan’s resignation from the Independent Inquiry Committee (IIC), and a lack of adequate explanation for their departure, only fuels concerns about the credibility of the IIC led by Mr. Volcker. His refusal to permit Mr. Parton and Ms. Miranda to cooperate with the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigation (PSI) cannot stand. I have directed staff to issue subpoenas as soon as possible to Mr. Parton and Ms. Miranda to compel them to cooperate with PSI investigators. In order to preserve public confidence in the IIC investigation and the United Nations, it is vital to hear from these two individuals immediately.